


ghost in the attic

by Sorunort



Series: beetlesquip (be more chill + beetlejuice au) [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Beetlejuice AU, Gen, Human Jeremy Heere's Squip, River is EWM btw and tamsquip exists in universe hes just not Here right now, Squip Squad (mentioned) - Freeform, jeremy and river bond in an attic together and its almost like things Wont go to shit, mr heere moves after their mom leaves and jeremy does NOT take it well, this isnt proofed because i dont care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21730990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorunort/pseuds/Sorunort
Summary: Okay. So Jeremy was alone in a new house in a new neighborhood with a random stranger (ghost?) in the attic.Seemed like an appropriate time to panic.*a beetlejuice au because the soundtrack is a bop and i like to smash my hyperfixations together
Series: beetlesquip (be more chill + beetlejuice au) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566220
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	ghost in the attic

**Author's Note:**

> i have some vague plans for this au but nothing in a coherent storyline so expect some random oneshots like this in the future maybe we'll see
> 
> river is EWMsquip but hes a human and squips dont exist here also ive never written EWMsquip in my life so go easy on me Its hard writing a character that didnt have morals before suddenly have morals now bc theyre Not a computer.

Jeremy decided this was probably the worst day of his life.

Some may argue that his mother walking out of them should be the worst day of his life. Nobody should have to lose their mother, or their wife in his dad’s case, and Jeremy was awfully torn up about it. But he still had Michael and Christine and the rest of their friend group for support. Jeremy sat smothered between Michael and Christine as he cried nonsensical sentences the day she walked out. They didn’t let go even when he managed to stop crying and Jeremy would always be grateful for their friendship.

This was the worst day of his life because he didn’t have them anymore. Michael and Christine were no longer five minutes away. His support was thoughtlessly thrown aside and now he had no one to keep him grounded.

“I just thought we could use a fresh start,” his dad said, hauling in boxes from a truck Jeremy wasn’t aware of until they arrived at the empty house. “Y’know, since your mother…” he trailed off, stopping in place as movers walked past him depositing cardboard boxes in any available space. But he shook it off and said, “I’ve got a new job opportunity lined up here, this could be good for us, buddy!”

Buddy. He wanted to be Jeremy’s friend but he couldn’t even be a dad.

Jeremy begged him to reconsider. He grasped the wooden rods lining the stairway as his dad climbed, “But Michael and Christine- everyone I know is-is back there!” His dad didn’t stop so Jeremy chased him up the stairs, nearly tripping over himself. “Please, Dad, you can’t-you can’t do this! I-I need them!”

It didn’t matter. Nothing he said mattered. The deed was done and they left Middleborough behind. No more of Michael’s overly affectionate bear hugs, no more Christine taking his hand and squeezing it to keep him grounded.

Jeremy was utterly, completely alone.

* * *

He didn’t get much sleep that night. He wouldn’t have been able to even if he tried but Jeremy spent the better part of the evening sobbing to himself until he eventually picked up his phone to tell his friends the _ good news _ . The call started with Michael and Rich, who tried to comfort him best they could over the phone, until Christine and Jenna joined in. Then Jake and Chloe and Brooke came in last. One by one they heard the story and offered Jeremy their sympathies. The only highlight was Rich suggesting they all roadtrip up to see Jeremy one weekend. He was happy to hear everyone react positively, nice to know they weren’t secretly tired of him or glad he was gone. 

But as the night trailed on everyone dipped out of the call one by one to go to bed. It was down to just him and Christine in the wee hours of the morning. Michael tried to stay up with them but he fell asleep in the middle of the call and they could hear him snoring every so often.

“It’s gonna be hard without you,” Christine said softly. 

Jeremy felt his throat tighten. “Yeah, it’s- it’s gonna be p-pretty shitty without you either.”

“We just gotta call a lot more. Send me videos and pictures whenever you can and I’ll do the same,” she offered. “I can tape Mr. Reyes’s lecture on Hamlet and it’ll be like you never left.”

He managed a tired laugh and clutched his bedsheets like they were her hand. “It sounds crazy but I, but I think I’m gonna miss Mr. Reyes too. He’s part of the M-Middleborough experience, y’know?”

Christine giggled sleepily and Jeremy could imagine her nodding. “You haven’t lived the Middleborough experience until you’ve sat through a Reyes ramble.”

They both went quiet for a minute as Michael snored distantly. Jeremy stared off into a dark corner of his new room. Moving boxes towered above him and there was a brief fear they would fall on him during the night and smother him and nobody would be the wiser until morning. Maybe that wouldn’t be too bad though.

“...I miss you, Christine,” Jeremy said numbly.

He could just make out the hitch in her breath. “I miss you too, Jeremy. … Are you okay to sleep tonight?”

Not with those boxes threatening to kill him. “Maybe.”

“Okay, well, text me if you can’t sleep. I might zonk out as soon as we hang up but I can answer whenever I wake up. I won’t be any help by then but. Yeah.”

“N-no, yeah, I’d still appreciate it, thanks,” Jeremy nodded and sat up, throwing his blanket off. “I’ll se- uh--.. do that. Good night, Chris.”

“Good night, Jeremy. Love you and miss _ yooou _ ,” she sang quietly before hanging up. Jeremy left the call and stared down at everyone’s offline status (excluding Michael, still asleep in call). 

He almost said  _ I’ll see you tomorrow.  _ Now he didn’t know  _ when _ he would see her.

Jeremy spent the next half hour reworking all the boxes so that none would tumble on him in the night. But even when that was done and he tried to sleep he couldn’t bring himself to doze off. The rest of the night was an eternity of tossing and turning, barely falling asleep before waking up once more and the cycle would repeat.

He didn’t text Christine.

* * *

The cherry on top of an already miserable day was waking up in a room so very _ not _ his own and having a heart attack about where he was. Until he remembered the events of the day prior and Jeremy forced himself to calm down. Swallowing hard he checked for any messages from his friends and was relieved to see some waiting for him. A bunch were from Christine and Michael nearly rivaled her amount. The contents were basically the same: they missed him, they loved him, and were thinking about him. Jeremy clutched his phone and tried to ignore the stinging behind his eyes.

What he couldn’t ignore was the time. Little after ten in the morning. Odd to sleep in considering he barely slept and it would’ve been a school day back home but he tacked it up to stress and depression. Speaking of he didn’t bother to change his clothes last night and now one of his favorite striped shirts was a wrinkled mess. Not that it mattered since he wasn’t going anywhere but even if he wanted to change he didn’t know which box contained his closet.

Of course he could just dig through the boxes and arrange his new room. But that would mean accepting his fate and Jeremy wasn’t ready for that.

Jeremy’s room was upstairs but the stairs continued up to what Jeremy assumed was an attic. He decided to save exploring that for last so when he was done it would be a short walk to his room and he could crash and wallow in his misery some more. So began his sweep of the house.

In all honesty it wasn’t too bad. The living was right there when you walked in and a dining table set up next to it. The kitchen was the next room over. It would likely look a lot more spacious once all the moving boxes were unpacked but once again, Jeremy wasn’t ready to accept that. The house sat on a hill and gave way to a nice view of the town and a wide forest on the other side. Certainly different from the usual New Jersey suburbs he longed for. 

His dad left a note on the table reading that he was  _ heading into town to buy a few groceries _ and that they could  _ start unpacking together when he got back _ ! Jeremy just sighed and wandered back upstairs. He was glad his dad was trying to find some stability after she left but  _ why couldn’t he do that in New Jersey? _

The door to the attic was a dull red, interesting color choice, and if Michael were here he would probably make some joke about it actually being a portal to another dimension. Just because it stood out so much and therefore  _ had _ to be something wacky. If it did lead to another dimension Jeremy might burst into tears again but it sure beat staying here.

To his dismay, it looked like the movers didn’t bother cleaning out the attic. Everything from the previous owner was still there. Even  _ more _ cardboard boxes but random knick knacks and doo-dads scattered about. There were two windows on opposite sides to filter in sunlight but Jeremy flicked a lightswitch triggering a single lightbulb overhead. It was all covered in dust and it floated through the air. Jeremy couldn’t help but start coughing, holding his shirt over his nose to keep the dust out.

“Yeah, it’s a mess up here.”

“Word,” he sniffed.

Wait a second.

Jeremy blinked hard at the man just  _ sitting _ on a box by one of the windows. He looked so casual about it save for the bewildered expression on his face. Jeremy was certain he must have looked the same. He had short dark curly hair and wore a dark jacket and teal shirt. Definitely not one of the movers.

Okay. So Jeremy was alone in a new house in a new neighborhood with a random stranger in the attic.

Seemed like an appropriate time to panic.

Right as he inhaled to scream the man stood up and waved his hands rapidly, “Don’t freak out!” he shouted and for  _ whatever  _ reason Jeremy  _ listened _ , slamming his mouth shut. Didn’t stop him from pressing his back against the door like a trapped animal.

Neither of them made any other moves or broke eye contact. Jeremy tried swallowing his fear and pointed at him, unable to keep it from shaking, “Wh-Who are y-you? Why are you in-in here?!”

The man gestured vaguely, seemingly on the verge of losing it too. “Okay, okay, not freaking out, that’s good, that’s-- a start, okay, uh-” he pressed his hands together and inhaled sharply. “How do I explain this-”

“Y-You’ve got five seconds before I-I call the, the, police!” Jeremy fumbled and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Though with his trembling hands he doubted he would be able to dial much less send a text. “Get outta my house!”

Now the man looked offended. “Hey, first off, not your house. It’s mine. Second--”

His house? Oh, great, he was stuck in the attic with a lunatic. “Wh- no? M-My dad bought this house,” Jeremy said, still holding his phone like a lifeline.

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you it’s rude to interrupt someone?” The man scoffed but the attitude was lost a second later. They let out a short descending whistle and propped their hands on their hips. They shuffled around in place before shrugging widely. “Okay, I’m just gonna say it. I’m dead!” he said with his arms raised in a huff. “I’m a ghost. Was  _ not _ expecting you or  _ anyone _ seeing me but-” his hands fell down and slapped against his legs. “Here we are.”

A ghost. Like he would believe an excuse like that. It felt like his mind was spinning out of control and this was the last thing he needed with everything else going wrong in his life. To think he was talking to a dead person-  _ unbelievable! _ It felt like he couldn’t get any words out and Jeremy probably stood there gaping for a few minutes. “But-- But I… I-I-I can see you…” he managed weakly. The familiar stinging behind his eyes was back with a vengeance.

The man pursed his lips and shook his head, just as lost as Jeremy. “Yeah, I don’t really get that either. I thought the living ignored the…  _ strange and unusual _ ,” he said, waggling his fingers for emphasis and rolling his eyes. 

Strange. Unusual. Terrible. Loser. Geek. Nerd. Misfit. Outcast. Failure. Sucker.

Jeremy sniffled, rubbing furiously at his eyes. “Guess that makes me strange and unusual too, huh?”

Nothing was going right. His mother left because he was a failure of a son, of a person, and now his friends were gone too. He was alone in the attic of a house he didn’t want to be in with a supposed ghost. Everything was crumbling around him and his already weak emotional state was the first to fall. Oh, no, that was just his knees hitting the ground as he curled into a ball.

Who even has a breakdown in an attic with a ghost? Jeremy really was a stupid loser and it was all he would ever be.

“Whoa, whoa, hey, don’t-- ah,  _ shit _ …” the man mumbled, biting his lip and looking around the attic desperately. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, uh-” he slapped a hand over his mouth and suddenly his voice echoed around them, bouncing off the attic walls. “Look at this! Cool party trick, eh?”

Jeremy flinched and rubbed his eyes, raising an eyebrow as he momentarily suspended his misery. “What… What’d you just-just do?”

“I, uh, threw my voice,” He said taking his hands away from his mouth. He looked around the attic again, in less of a frenzy, and located something in the corner. The man waved one hand and pointed to the same place. A book rose up and another one followed and soon the two books were sailing around the room like something out of Peter Pan, all following the motion of the man’s hand. They circled the attic until he guided them back to the corner then waved his hand with a half hearted grin. “Don’t see that everyday, now do ya?”

Okay, consider his misery suspended for longer than a moment. Jeremy rubbed his nose on his sleeve and nodded meekly. “Mhmm… S-Sorry, I just…” 

He shook his head. “I’m River.” The man knelt down in front of Jeremy, his grin now less awkward and more sympathetic. “You’re Jeremy, right?”

Jeremy leaned back, tucking his hands close to his body instinctively to make himself appear smaller. Habit he picked up in school. “H-How do you--”

River waved it off. “I heard you and your dad yesterday. Nothing weird, I promise.”

“I-It’s a little weird,” Jeremy mumbled.

“Okay, sure, everything’s weird right now,” River admitted. He adjusted himself into a sitting position. “Nice to meet you, Jeremy. Sorry it had to be like this, though.”

“Mm, yeah, it’s-- whatever, I guess?” He shrugged. “I don’t really know what t-to say. I never anticipated I’d be meeting a ghost before I die.”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that,” River said and nudged Jeremy a little (to his surprise it didn’t faze through him, like Jeremy would have assumed). “I never anticipated dying and a buncha New Jerseyians would come and take my house. Much less  _ talking _ to them.”

Jeremy managed a smile but it dropped just as soon as it came. However he did gradually unfurl his arms and hugged his knees. “So… What are you doing in-in the attic, River? How long have you been here?”

River sucked in a breath and held it, knitting his eyebrows together. “Well, I’ve been here since I died. But I’ve only been in the attic since yesterday.”

Jeremy shifted, quirking his head curiously. “Really?”

“Yeah, uh, see this other ghost, creature, thing… asked me to help him out. Said he’d show me how to get my house back if exchange for a favor,” River explained, gesturing as he went. “I’m supposed to haunt my house and get you guys to leave but you just looked so…” River trailed off, looking Jeremy up and down with a grimace.

He didn’t need to say it. Jeremy got the message loud and clear. “Pathetic. Depressed. A total loser.”

River winced at how Jeremy seemingly read his mind but recovered quickly. “So-- Like you had a rough day,” he settled on. A shitty cover up but a cover up nonetheless. “I wasn’t aboutta scare you on top of all that. I felt bad.”

“It’s okay, you can just say I’m a mess.”

“No, I didn’t--” River sighed hopelessly. “--mean it like that, Jeremy.”

He shook his head. “Mmthanks for not adding onto my bullshit, though. What kinda favor did this creature thing want in return for getting us outta here?” A bit strange to think about some paranormal thing having a bone to pick with him and his dad but Jeremy could unpack that later. He didn’t want to start crying for the millionth time.

River shrugged and drummed his fingers on his knees. “Don’t worry about it, slugger, the guy left last night anyway.”

“Huh?”

“He got real pissed I didn’t wanna scare you and left. Said our deal is off and I haven’t seen him since.”

Jeremy blinked. “So there’s just a creature thing wandering around out there looking for favors in exchange for scaring?”

“Basically.”

His head fell into his arms. “I’m  _ so _ not sleeping again tonight,” Jeremy whispered. What could be scarier than an unknown creature out on the prowl looking to get Jeremy out of his new house?

A hand gently tousled his hair and Jeremy poked his head back up. “Don’t look so glum, kid. I know it’s all very weird and new and a lots happening but- you’ll be alright.”

Jeremy let out a whine. “I don’t think I will. I  _ really _ just wanna go home, River.”

River sighed. “Yeah, I’d like my house back, too.” He looked around the attic, pursing his lips. “The movers got rid of all my stuff except for everything here. It’s small but at least it’s mine.”

“Mmwell if I can convince my dad to go back to New Jersey then the house- wait,” Jeremy straightened up. “Why don’t we just spook my dad?”

River raised an eyebrow. “You want me to scare you?”

“I mean, no, I feel bad about it but-- But if he thinks this place is haunted then we gotta go back to Middleborough,” Jeremy reasoned, unfurling himself from his ball position.

“If you feel bad about it then maybe we shouldn’t do it.” River countered.

It was such a nasty thing to do. Before they moved his dad just sat home in his underwear all day and barely left the house. Nobody ever got the mail so it piled up in the mailbox. The plant in the window never got any water and it wilted fast. But now his dad was actually out buying groceries and had a job lined up. Neither of them were happy living like that. Jeremy was being selfish trying to go back to how things used to be.

But Michael and Christine weren’t here.

Jeremy had nothing left if he couldn’t see them again.

“...A last resort then,” Jeremy decided. “If he doesn’t listen to-to me then we can haunt the place. Is that better?”

River still didn’t seem satisfied but he sighed and relented, rubbing his neck. “I’m not sure about this. But we’ll call it a deal for now.” 

He stuck out his hand and Jeremy took it to shake but immediately jumped and withdrew. “Holy  _ shit _ , you’re  _ so cold _ ,” Jeremy wheezed, clutching his hand tight to try and warm it back up.

River actually let out a laugh and gestured to himself. “Yeah, that’s part of the whole  _ being dead _ thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> 'wheres beetlesquip though' all in due time my precious All In Due Time


End file.
